CONCORD OR BUST: Manteca Aquatic swimmers Emily Windschitl (left) and Miranda McDonnell (right) will take on the best at the Adam Szmidt Memorial Pacific Swimming Long Course Junior Olympics July 10-13 in Concord.

    Manteca Aquatics coach Clayton Basepayne knew accolades would come sooner or later when he kicked off Manteca’s only year-round swim program, he just never imagined that sooner was sooner than he thought.
    Basepayne’s rookie pupils, Emily Windschitl and Miranda McDonnell, produced fast times at the Tiger Aquatics USA Swim Meet to qualify for the Adam Szmidt Memorial Pacific Swimming Long Course Junior Olympics on Thursday, July 10 in Concord.
    It’s the first junior Olympic competition for any Manteca Aquatics swimmers and a good start to a program that Mantecans hope will rival the likes of Ripon’s year-round program (Ripon Aquatics) that has drawn several of Manteca’s top swimmers over the years.
    “I did not think they would do this until after the summer,” Basepayne said. “I am really proud of them, and I know that if they try and work hard, they can do some big things. This is a really good opportunity for both of them.”
    Both swimmers met qualifying marks to advance in their events, a USA Swimming format that qualifies swimmers for most of the nation’s biggest meets throughout the year.
    Windschitl, 12, qualified in both the 50-meter butterfly and 50 freestyle for the 11-12 age division. She broke the qualifying mark of 36.29-seconds with a 35.60 fly time, and advanced in the 50 free by swimming a 32.29 race (32.79 to qualify).
    McDonnell, 10, finished a sharp 100 back in 1:34.90 to beat the qualifying mark of 1:35.99 for the Under-10 division as well.
    “They are young and this is their first junior Olympics, so I don't want them to be pressured,” Basepayne said. “I just want them to go out and swim, and if they want to do something big, then they can.”
    In the fall, Windschitl will transfer from Durham Ferry to Brock Elliott for her final year of middle school. McDonnell will take on the sixth grade at McParland.
    “When other people found out, some of our friends were excited because they knew what (junior Olympics) were, but others didn’t seem to care because they didn’t know it meant anything,” McDonnell said.
    “I’m just happy because that’s a goal we were trying to meet,” Windschitl added.
    The four-day junior Olympic event kicks off at 9 a.m. on July 10, with a finals-only format. Windschitl will swim the 50 free on Saturday and the 50 fly on Sunday while McDonnell’s only action is on Sunday, during the meet’s final day of competition.
    The two will hope to snare marks that qualify them for the Far Westerns in late July, another potential first for a budding year-round program.

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Joshua Craighead of Manteca Aquatics competes in the back stroke during the Mel Enze Memorial Meet at Tokay High June 6.

LODI - Seven-year-old Joshua Craighead was among the top performers for Manteca Aquatics on June 6 in the Mel Enze Memorial Meet held at Tokay High.
Craighead racked up four top-10 finishes in five events and chopped off considerable time off his previous best in three of them. He placed fourth in the 50-meter butterfly in 1 minute, 5.80 seconds, fifth in the 100 back stroke in 2:34.29, sixth in the 100 freestyle in 2:02.74 and seventh in the 50 freestyle in 51.34.
Brandon Craighead was the busiest swimmer for his team, as he participated in nine events in the 9-10-year-old division. His best finish was fourth in the 100 fly.
Also turning in top-10 performances were: Ashley Maderos (eighth, 200 breast) Stephanie Davis (sixth, 400 free; sixth 200 back) and Jon Brandi, who was sixth in the 100 back, 200 breast and 400 free.

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